Why Email Still Wins for Reminders
Push notifications compete for attention; email waits quietly and works everywhere. The case for email-first reminders — and what deliverability takes.
Read →Notes from the road
Hi, I'm AnnMax. I build small tools — and write down what I learn on the way.
18 years of shipping software: enterprise .NET and Java, Python data pipelines — then 17 privacy-first browser extensions, a reminder SaaS, and ten installable web apps. This subdomain is my notebook: build logs, platform notes, a bit of tech history, and the thinking in between.
Latest notes
Long and short pieces, newest first.
Why I Still Write Vanilla JavaScript in 2026
No framework, no build step, no 300 MB of node_modules. A defense of vanilla JavaScript for small tools — and when I would still reach for a framework.
Read →The Hot Water Thing: a China Survival Note
Why hot water is the default drink in China, where to get it for free, and how the habit quietly makes travelling and everyday life a little easier.
Read →Three Habits for People Who Sit All Day
Your body keeps the log your calendar does not. Three small habits — a timer, an eye break, a screen at the right height — that make long days cheaper.
Read →The README Is the Product
Nobody reads your code before they read your README. The first five lines decide whether anyone runs your tool — lessons from 17 tiny extensions.
Read →The Quiet Cost of a Missed Deadline: CertTrack Pro
Certificate and inspection deadlines never announce themselves. Why I built CertTrack Pro, a reminder SaaS that emails before the deadline, not after.
Read →Things I build
Three lines of work. Everything lives on my main site, annmax1983.com.
VKT Browser Extensions
17 focused tools for Chrome and Edge — copy unlockers, full-page screenshots, timers, an offline 2FA vault. One job each, under ~20 KB, zero data collection.
Browse the extensionsCertTrack Pro
A multi-tenant reminder platform for certificate expiry, equipment maintenance, and inspection tasks — the email that arrives before the deadline, not after.
Open CertTrack ProVKT PWA Apps
Ten tiny installable web apps — a tap counter, a dead-pixel checker, bubble wrap, and friends. Install straight from the browser; they work offline.
Try the PWAs